Wednesday, June 30, 2010

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Top military leaders from 14 partner nations held a press conference to officially launch the 2010 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise at Lockwood Hall on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam June 28.

Adm. Patrick Walsh, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT); and Vice Adm. Richard Hunt, commander, Combined Task Force welcomed the participating foreign navies as they announced the official start of the month-long exercise.

"For us to be able to hold this exercise today represents a substantial commitment by the countries that are participating and represented here," said Walsh. "Our goal is to ensure a reciprocal level of commitment in terms of training opportunities for those who are here."

The exercise will bring to together units and personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Peru, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.

"It's an honor to stand here before you with the leadership that we have from each of the 14 nations that are represented in the Rim of the Pacific exercise 2010," said Hunt. "Throughout the one month period, a tremendous gathering of like minded nations will be working together to secure the maritime domain in a way that we have not been able to achieve in the past. We really look forward to the exercise."

Walsh said that information sharing is a key enabler and a force multiplier which is one of the key points of the exercise.

"It gives us opportunities when we have the ability to communicate with each other to take full advantage of the respective capabilities that each nation brings to the sea," said Walsh.

During the exercise, participating countries will conduct gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defense exercises, as well as maritime interdiction and vessel boarding, explosive ordnance disposal, diving and salvage operations, mine clearance operations, and an amphibious landing.

Hunt said that the exercise will also emphasize littoral operations with ships like littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1), the French frigate Prairial (F 731) and the Singapore frigate RSS Supreme (70).

RIMPAC is the world's largest multinational maritime exercise, and will take place in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands. The exercise is themed "Combined Agility, Synergy and Support," and marks the 22nd exercise in the series that originated in 1971.

A GOES-12 infrared satellite image of Hurricane Ida provided by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, Calif. shows the storm at 7:45 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. Ida, later downgraded to a tropical storm, is expected to make landfall near the Florida-Alabama border Tuesday morning. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

By April Phillips, Naval Safety Center Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The annual hurricane season began June 1, and some experts predict this could be a busy year for storms. However, the Naval Safety Center has storm preparation tips that could lessen the damage to life and property if a hurricane does come ashore.

With the first storm of the season, Tropical Storm Alex, churning in the Gulf of Mexico and nearing hurricane strength, concerns are starting to rise. Current predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show the storm moving away from the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana and toward south Texas, where it may make landfall as a Category 1 storm the evening of June 29 or the morning of June 30.

Nelson said preparation is important even when evacuation isn't necessary.

"Don't wait until the wind is blowing and the rain is pouring to get water and non-perishable food," Nelson said. "Track the storm as it approaches and prepare before landfall is imminent."

The Naval Safety Center advises inspecting yards and property well in advance of the storm. Remove any diseased or damaged tree branches and secure any objects that could become airborne from high winds.

However, winds aren't the only danger during a hurricane. Flooding is also a major concern.

"Here in Norfolk, the city publishes a map that shows the flood zone," Nelson said.

He recommended that residents of any city find out if they're in a flood-prone location. If so, move valuables to the highest level of the house.

Loss of electricity is a nuisance during a storm, but it can also be dangerous if there's no way to monitor the hurricane.

"Think about what will happen when you don't have electricity for a few days. Don't fill your freezer with food that will spoil. Also, keep a battery-operated radio handy with plenty of spare batteries," Nelson said.

While he has evacuated the city several times in advance of storms, Nelson recognizes that most people won't have to take that drastic step. However, it's important to have a plan, just in case. Find an inland evacuation location well in advance, and make sure everyone in the family knows what to do and when to act.

"It's a lot easier to take a little time and energy to be prepared than to try to figure out what to do once it's too late," he said. "The regret you'll have will far outweigh the effort it takes to get you and your family ready for the storm."

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

DAVENPORT, Iowa (NNS) -- Approximately 100,000 air-show enthusiasts watched as the U.S. Navy parachute demonstration team, the Leap Frogs, kicked off the 24th annual Quad City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa, June 26-27.

The Leap Frogs, composed of Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant-craft crewmen and parachute riggers, parachuted down from an Alaska Air National Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft during the opening ceremony of the two-day event.

Spectators packed the flight line and cheered as the team jumped from 8,000 feet above show center. The jumpers deployed their blue and gold main canopies and linked up in what is called canopy-relative work. The jumpers formed bi-plane and T-formations. Two jumpers had the crowd on their feet as they performed a down plane and swooped in for an impressive, precision landing. The team rocketed toward the ground at more than 120 miles per hour in a bomb burst formation for the final jump June 27.

A few young cadets from the Davenport Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol (DCSCAP) got the chance to meet the team up close, when they were invited to help pack the Leap Frogs' parachutes after the performance.

"They were amazing!" said Nick Reed, a DCSCAP cadet. "I hope to get my skydiving license and maybe join the Navy and become one of these people one day. That would be a dream job!"

Various aerobatic display teams followed the Leap Frogs' performance, including the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force Legacy Flights, U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet and U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle, in addition to many civilian teams. The event concluded with a re-enactment of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

"I love the Leap Frogs, they're fantastic!" said Ken Hopper, president, founder and air boss of Quad City Air Show. "Their performance today just goes to show that the Leap Frogs will jump if humanly possible, and they just have that Navy can-do attitude."

"We are thrilled to be part of the air show," said Chief Special Warfare Operator Justin Gauny, leading chief petty officer of the Leap Frogs. "We really enjoy coming out and performing at events like this. It's a great opportunity to show the public a little bit about what we do."

The Leap Frogs are based in San Diego and perform parachute demonstrations across the United States in support of Naval Special Warfare and Navy Recruiting Command.

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Memphis (SSN 691) returned to her homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London June 24 following a successful short deployment to the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility.

While deployed, Memphis participated in the Atlantic phase of UNITAS 2010 and Exercise Naiad.

UNITAS is the longest running multinational naval exercise which brings together the maritime forces of the Western Hemisphere to enhance security, improve interoperability, expand maritime domain awareness and counter maritime activities that could threaten region stability.

Memphis's role was to conduct anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and maritime domain operations. According to the crew, the most challenging assignment was finding and simulating an attack on two diesel submarines from Argentina and Brazil.

During the exercise, Memphis hosted Lt. j.g. Francisco Oleiro, an Argentinean submariner as an exchange officer. This visit allowed Oleiro to observe operations aboard a U.S. submarine, while giving Memphis' crew an opportunity to get a firsthand account of diesel submarine life.

Oleiro described his visit as very great and very different.

"[It was] an event I will remember for the rest of my life," he added.

Memphis then traveled to Brazil for a port visit in Rio de Janeiro where the crew participated in briefings, tours of training facilities, and a barbecue hosted by the Brazilian navy.

During Exercise Naiad, a tactical development exercise where Memphis went head-to-head with Brazilian navy Submarine Tamoio (S-31) in a series of challenging events, Memphis again exchanged officers.

"The missile launch was a success," said Pablo Dasalla, lead platform test coordinator, who was on board to observe the launch.

According to Dasalla, the planning required to launch a Tomahawk missile takes three to four months to coordinate. The coordination involves mission planning, approval from different organizations, scheduling of range time and fulfilling requirements prior to the missile launch.

The ship's crew has been preparing for the past four months to maintain its mission readiness by conducting daily drills and training evolutions.

"We've been conducting a simulated land attack missile exercise (SLAMEX), twice a month," said Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW) Elliot Asmah, who is part of Sterett's strike group and was responsible for launching one of the Tomahawk missiles during their second day out to sea.

The missile launch became an historic event for the Sterett, as this was the first time the ship launched a Tomahawk from its vertical launch system.

According to Asmah, every year a ship is chosen to test the Tomahawk missiles, but there are many ships that can spend their entire lifetime in the fleet without ever shooting one.

For many aboard the ship, the missile launch was a lifetime experience especially for Asmah, who pushed the button that sent the missile soaring into the sky after a countdown.

"It was a privilege to be the first person on the Sterett to shoot a Tomahawk missile," said Asmah. "This will make history, and I am part of it."

Dasalla credits the flexibility of Sterett's leadership and its crew to the success of the missile launches.

"The leadership on board made things happen," said Dasalla. "The diligence and dedication of the strike team has shown their willingness to succeed with Tomahawk launch attack missile operations."

"The Eisenhower Strike Group has done a great job supporting the troops on the ground in Afghanistan and executing maritime security operations," said Rear Adm. Phil Davidson, commander, CSG 8. "We leave knowing that Eisenhower, CVW 7, and all the ships in our Ike '5-star' team have worked hard to improve security and stability in the region."

Ships of the Eisenhower CSG performed multiple missions while in the 5th Fleet AOR, which included deterring piracy, protecting critical infrastructure, partnering with critical allies, and conducting MSO throughout the region.

"Our Sailors have shown tremendous dedication and commitment during this deployment and are ready now to head home to their family and friends," said Capt. Dee Mewbourne, commanding officer, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). "We have every confidence that Truman will continue to work just as effectively to improve the security and stability in this part of the world through the outstanding professionalism of their Sailors."

"The Eisenhower Strike Group's performance in the 5th Fleet and their support for Soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan has been superb. We have big footsteps to follow in," said Rear Adm. Pat Driscoll, commander, CSG 10. "The Sailors and Marines of the Truman Strike Group are fully ready and anxious to begin this important tasking."

"This year during USWEX we continued to strengthen interoperability between the U.S. Navy and the JMSDF and trained against tactics, techniques and procedures to develop new concepts in ASW," said Lt. Justin Santos, a surface operations officer for DESRON 15. "Throughout this exercise, I believe everyone involved has executed in a professional manner and to the best of their expertise."

During the exercise, GW and JMSDF Sailors, who were embarked aboard GW during USWEX, were tasked with locating, tracking and completing simulated engagements with allied submarines in their vicinity.

Santos said that working with the JMSDF provided unique opportunities for all involved to learn from one another, furthering the U.S.-Japan relationship, and show how they can further their joint operational efforts.

"During USWEX we were afforded the opportunity of working side by side with our JMSDF counterparts on board GW," he said. "They were standing watch during the exercise in the same spaces we were and holding briefs throughout the day alongside us as well. Having them on board was a benefit to the success of this exercise."

Lt. Masanobu Kanamori, Undersea Warfare Staff escort for JMSDF's Flotilla 2, is one of the many JMSDF Sailors who has been on board during the exercise. He said while he was taken back by the enormity of the ship, and the sights and sounds of the flight deck, working, eating, and living on the GW contributed to the overall experience of USWEX.

"This has been a very big exercise and a great experience for me," he said. "I enjoyed being on board GW and working with the U.S. Navy Sailors. I learned a lot."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation. Santos said he is optimistic about the two countries relationship in the present and the future.

"Our alliance with Japan demonstrates the strength in our commitment to one another and our ability to work together," he said. "This exercise is an example of just how strong our alliance really is."

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Fort Worth, Texas -- A major revolution in our hobby is on the way and it will forever change the very nature of the scanner radio hobby. Today, June 26, 2010, Uniden America held an open house here at their corporate offices in Fort Worth, Texas, for the public and the media. At this open house they unveiled a new revolutionary scanner called the "HomePatrol."

So what is so revolutionary about this new scanner? Simply put, it is simplicity! There has never been one like it before. To say that it will be easy to program by the user is to totally understate the facts.

The only thing you will need to know to program a "HomePatrol" scanner is – wait for it – the Zip Code where you are currently located. Yes, you punch in your zip code on the LCD touch screen, press enter, and you will instantly start hearing local scanner communications (conventional and trunked, analog and digital). No other operator interface is needed and it is truly just that simple.

Maybe you don't want to monitor civilian or military air comms that got loaded when you punched in your zip code, just police, fire and EMS. No problem: touch the screen to set up what you want to hear and it is done. No banks, no systems, no groups, no programming of frequencies: your location is all you need to get you started. And did I mention that all the controls for this scanner is via a full color touch screen?

If you are traveling and you have a GPS, plug that puppy into the "HomePatrol" scanner and it will ensure that your unit has up-to-date frequencies for the area you are traveling in. You don't have to do anything except to make sure that the GPS is working and plugged into the "HomePatrol." Of course you will have to supply the GPS unit since it is not included with the "HomePatrol" scanner.

That is why I think that the Uniden "HomePatrol" has the potential to create a major revolution in the scanner world.

Since the unveiling is still taking place as this is being posted, the full details and specs are not yet available. I will be bringing a test unit home from Fort Worth and will be conducting a full blown MT First Look review of the "HomePatrol." I will also post some of my first impressions on the "HomePatrol" scanner on the Monitoring Times website at http://www.monitoringtimes.com or on my personal blog, the BTown Monitoring Post at http://monitor-post.blogspot.com. You can also check out a new website that Uniden has setup for their new unit at http://www.homepatrol.com/ for everything "HomePatrol."

We will have a full detailed First Look review of this revolutionary new scanner in the October issue of Monitoring Times magazine, but check back here for future updates.

"On one hand, it is truly heartwarming to see the enthusiastic support of the community for their Navy and the men who have volunteered to serve this great nation of ours," said Soldow. "On the other hand, it is indeed sad to take out of commission a warship that has so boldly and so proudly served the American people for all these years."

Soldow also said that the warship is much more than technology and steel.

"These men who stand before you today, and those seated throughout the audience who came before them represent some of the greatest American's to ever serve this nation of ours," said Soldow.

The contract to build Philadelphia was awarded to Electric Boat Division at the General Dynamics Corporation in Groton Jan. 8, 1971. Philadelphia's keel was laid Aug. 12, 1972, and was launched Oct. 19, 1974.

Philadelphia completed her final deployment in February 2010, conducting operations in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Well tomorrow morning I will be enroute to a very special radio hobby event in the DFW Metroplex. Uniden America will be holding an Open House on Saturday, June 26, 2010, from 10 am to 2 pm CDT at their corporate headquarters in Fort Worth. Uniden will be unveiling their new revolutionary scanner at this Open House.

I will have a full report on this blog and on the Monitoring Times website upon my return from the event. in the meantime if you are attending this event, I look forward to meeting you on Saturday. I will be making some brief remarks during the open house and you may hear something about Milcom monitoring you haven't heard before.

The Civil Air Patrol has been trying to convert their VHF radio systems to comply with NTIA narrowband guidelines for the last few years. But things have not gone well and they still have not converted their VHF network over to the Congressionally mandated narrowband system.

According to one anonymous source, the CAP HQ has now given a deadline of 31 Aug 2010 for all the wing commanders and directors of communication across the country to get their narrowband repeaters on the air.

Wings first requested new nationally-funded repeaters in the 2004-2005 timeframe, and CAP bought some $5 million in repeaters based on those requests. There were delays in actually getting federal frequency assignments (because of the need to coordinate with Canada/Mexico). As a result many of those originally-approved repeater sites have been lost. Some of the CAP wings just moved slowly in getting their new narrowband repeaters on-the-air.

August 31 will mark two years from the final release of the new VHF narrowband frequencies to the wings and a year-and-a-half since the first CAP narrowband repeater went on the air.

According to one source the Air Force is putting it's foot down because every repeater NOT on the air is wasted taxpayer's dollars. Nobody is officially saying what will happen if the 31 Aug deadline is not met, but it is clear that wings that do not get their repeaters on by the deadline will face some sort of repercussions.

Bottom line is you will probably see new comms over the next few weeks popping up on the CAP's new VHF frequencies. We had an extensive article on all of this in the May 2010 MT Milcom column (if you miss one issue you miss a lot). But to help out those who don't subscribe, here are the frequencies to watch for CAP activity:

Monday, June 21, 2010

Jon in Florida discovered last weekend a new CAP National Command ALE Net frequency:- 29.894 MHz. The frequency was also confirmed by Monitoring Times magazine Utility World columnist Hugh Stegman out in California.

The nationwide set of CAP ALE freqs for the "National CAP Command Net" are as follows:

The National Command Net operates in the Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) mode. It is composed of stations specifically approved by the NTC using equipment provided for this purpose. Most of these stations are “message center” stations which relay message traffic between the national and region levels of the CAP net structure.

The National Command level of the HF-ALE system, the "top level" of the CAP radio system, uses Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) radios to which a "suite" of frequencies is assigned, each with different radio propagation characteristics, and the radios automatically monitor which frequency is best to communicate with each other station in the net. Each region operates two ALE radios, serving as "message center" stations (see below), plus additional radios for Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska. The ALE stations at the National Technology Center (NTC) and the National Operations Center (NOC) serve as the net control stations for the National Command level of the HF-ALE system. There are no scheduled formal National Command net meetings. Rather, ALE station operators are expected to attend their radios regularly and be ready for messages, as they may be received.

The mission of the National Command level of the HF-ALE system is to provide a survivable, commercial infrastructure-independent command and control communication (C3) link among regions and between regions and higher headquarters.

The specific functions of National Command level stations are:

• Provide a strategic communications tier of the communications network available for adaptive communications during high-level missions.

• Provide decentralized contact points to relay traffic between incident command posts and the NOC or other national CAP office.

• Conduct and report regular confidence checks, in accordance with the current CAP Communications Alert Level, and no less than once per week.

• Be available, as needed, for training.

Pending activation of region ALE frequency suites (see below) the following guidance applies to all stations operating on the National Command frequency suite (ALE Net #1):

1. Other than the two region stations and nationally designated stations, any CAP station may monitor the ALE suite, but should not sound in routine operations.

2. Pending release of region ALE channels, wings may use the national ALE suite (ALE NET #1) for actual missions and specific training events with the understanding that this use and active sounding will be for relatively limited periods of time. For ALE use during a training exercise, place a request several days in advance, but for actual missions, coordinate with the NOC.

3. Only NTIA compliant equipment with Joint Interoperability Test Center (JITC) certification may transmit on National and Region ALE suites of frequencies.

4. The NTC and National Headquarters determines and standardizes all ALE parameter settings, such as sounding interval.

To Jon and Hugh, nice job. Now if we can find the missing freqs I belive are there around 18 MHz and from 20 to 28 MHz.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Multipsk is my absolute favorite digital decoder for the computer soundcard and the author, Patrick, F6CTE, just keeps making it better. This morning he has just announced the release of a new verson of MultiPSK (v4.18). His announcement is present below in its entirety

Hello to all Ham and SWL,

The new release of MultiPSK (4.18) is on my Web site (http://f6cte.free.fr/). It is not yet on Earl's and Terry's WEB sites.

The main modifications of MULTIPSK 4.18 are the following:

1) Decoding of the NWR SAME mode

NWR (National Weather Radio) SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) is simply a method of identifying the local area to which an alert message applies. It utilizes a digital data stream that contains the alert message with information about the type of event expected, its timing, duration, and location. The NWR SAME system is used in USA and Canada, in VHF (162.400, 162.425, 162.450, 162.475, 162.500, 162.525, 162.550 MHz).

To listen NWR SAME messages: the NWS tests the NWR and SAME alerting technology weekly. These tests normally occur on Wednesday between 10 AM and Noon with some variations to accomodate local requirements.

This mode is available for licencied copies, only (otherwise, the decoding is stopped after 5 minutes). See specifications further on.

Differences between a direct mail and a QSP mail (indirect). A mail is direct if you can transmit it directly to the final addressee: A -->B.

If you can't transmit the mail directly because the final addressee can't be directly reached due to the link conditions, the mail can be forwarded by the connected station, which acts as a "mails Server": A-->C (mails Server)-->B.

- permits to ask to the other Ham or to the SWL monitoring your QSO to send you a reception report by e-mail. Your address must be specified in the "WEB ADDRESS" of your personal data ("Personal" button). It will be transmitted the following command "RPRT@LENemail addressCRC" which is the report demand. If correctly decoded, a reception report will be transmitted to the e-mail address that you specified, through Internet.

Examples of use of this macro

1) The main objective is to ask the other Ham with whom you are in QSO to send you a reception report by e-mail.

2) But it can be also done by a SWL monitoring your QSO.

3) This macro can be used in conjuction with a Multipsk beacon which mode can be controlled by a RS ID. For example, you can switch the beacon in BPSK31 and asks the beacon for a reception report. Afterwards, the beacon can be switched in Olivia by a new RS ID and a new reception report can be asked...

Note: this macro can be used for all digital modes (except JT65), CW included.

- permits to send a Tune (non modulated carrier) with the command: . For example: (5% of power at 4000 Hz for 1 sec)

This function can be used for transmission tests or, perhaps, to create his/her personal "jingle" (short musical sequence).

- 's' gives the Signal to Noise ratio (in dB) obtained about 4 seconds before the switching to transmission.

- 'quality' for PSK modes only, gives the signal quality from 1/5 to 5/5 obtained about 4 seconds before the switching to transmission.

4) Improvements

Addition of a filter possibility in the SELCAL mode. Addition of 6 new memories of frequency and mode in the Transceiver window, for a total of 10 memories.

Some improvements for contesters: addition of a manual control of the QSO number, proposition of standard HF QRGs for the "Freq MHz" field, possibility to double the size of the "QSO->log" or "DXKeeper" buttons (in the "Logbook" window).

Note about translation of Multipsk.exe and Clock .exe: the 4.17 version of Multipsk/Clock has been completly translated to Spanish by Joachin (EA4ZB), from French. The translation file is on my Web site (http://f6cte.free.fr/Translation_files.htm).

NWR SAME (VHF)

The NWR (National Weather Radio) SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) is a digital system for transmission in USA and Canada, in VHF, of warning messages. There are, in fact, other agencies that NWS (National Weather Service) which use the SAME system. There are also many other messages that warning or watch messages.

If you don't already have MultiPSK, it is a most have program in any radio hobbyist shack. No self respecting Milcom monitors computer should be without this program. And the registered version opens up a whole new world of radio listening and worth every penny of the very inexpensive registration fee. If you pick up Patrick's program, be sure to tell him that The Milcom MP sent you.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Nils from Germany on the Hearsat newsgroup has posted the following update on the German COMSATBw Milsat UHF transponders.

ComSatBW-2 at 13.2°E:

"At 13:15 UTC all five transponders were lowered down by 12.5-kHz. Interestingly first the uplink seperately, followed by changing of the transponder downlink-frequency. Therefore now active transponders are:"

Nils also posted, "Just rescanned ComsatBW-1 at 63°E and found one new transponder at 253.750, which is probably the replacement of 251.775. 253.750 also carriers an Asian WFM radio station in the transponder. Therefore active transponders from 63°E should be currently:"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Effective July 1, 2010, civil registered aircraft conducting contract missions for the US Department of Defense will no longer use ICAO code RCH or the REACH callsign. DoD contract aircraft will instead use ICAO code CMB and a voice callsign of CAMBER. Thanks to Tony Hyatt on the Farnborough group and Jack NeSmith for forwarding this information to the Milcom Monitoring Post.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, along with its Alaskan and Canadian counterparts, will participate in Exercise Amalgam Dart Tuesday through Thursday off the coasts of northwestern U.S., western Canada and Alaska.

The exercise is designed to hone NORAD, CONR, Alaskan and Canadian NORAD Region's intercept and identification operations. These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure a rapid response capability.

CONR, along with its Eastern and Western Air Defense Sectors, provides airspace surveillance and control and directs all air sovereignty activities over the continental United States. CANR and ANR control airspace in Canada and Alaska respectively.

U.S. Air Force C-21 jets will take on the role as tracks of interest. They will fly during daylight hours at altitudes above 15,000 feet off the Alaskan, British Columbian, Washington and Oregon Coasts.

For the CONR piece of the exercise, the Western Air Defense Sector, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., will scramble Air Force fighters and direct them to intercept the C-21s. The fighters will be F-15 Eagles from the Air National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland, Ore., and 120th FW in Great Falls, Mont. An E-3 Sentry from the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., will provide airborne warning and control. KC-135 Stratotankers from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild AFB, Wash., will provide aerial refueling to the E-3.

ANR and CANR will scramble fighters as the TOIs move into their respective airspace areas.

NORAD and CONR have conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command's response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, CONR has responded to more than 2,600 possible air threats in the United States and has flown more than 56,400 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- In some form or fashion, every Airman deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility feels the effects of round-the-clock air operations, but perhaps none are more in tune with it than those working at the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron in Southwest Asia.

"Right now, there are more than 30 airplanes and almost 50 crews performing aerial refueling missions for (Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom)," said Lt. Col. Michael Frymire, the 340th EARS commander. "Obviously, we're 24/7/365, and all that we accomplish, with what little we have, keeps things here very interesting."

While there are other tankers in theater supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, the 340th EARS KC-135 Stratotankers are the sole providers of air refueling over Iraq and providers of 45-50 percent of refueling over Afghanistan.

"Using my own paradigm from other flying squadrons, the amount of infrastructure we have here, based on the size of the operation, it's pretty amazing we're able to sustain it," Colonel Frymire said.

"We have an interesting dynamic," he said. "We're total force -- completely 'rainbowed' between active-duty, guard and Reserve members. There aren't too many flying organizations that do that."

Because of this dynamic, the squadron experiences frequent member turnover.

"There are about 15 different units here at any given time, and we have weekly deployment and redeployment -- crews coming in, crews going out -- and we do that continuously," the colonel said.

"A lot of times it gets absolutely crazy over here," Colonel Frymire said, "and most of our folks work seven days a week. I try not to kill them with 12-hour shifts, but there's a definite burn-out factor. It's tough on them, because things never stabilize."

The 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit Airmen are also working to make the mission happen.

"Our AMU is amazing," Colonel Frymire said. "We can't get off the ground without their support."

Capt. Clarence Lovejoy, the 340th EARS assistant director of operations, one of the many behind-the-scenes Airmen whose dedication and expertise helps make refueling happen throughout the area of responsibility, tackles the daily task of flight scheduling.

After deciphering air tasking orders from the Combined Air Operations Center and extracting the points most pertinent to the aircrews, he builds their daily flight plans and tracks every flight hour for the nearly 50 crews.

"We keep up a pretty good pace," Captain Lovejoy said. "We do a lot of planning, but it's basically the crews that handle the workload. They're flying long sorties.

"Our crews often will push their monthly flying hour limits, so we have to sit them down for a few days," he explained. "And on top of flying hours, we have to keep them on a circadian rhythm, which is probably the biggest challenge."

Another challenge is fitting the right crew with the right aircraft, Colonel Frymire said.

"Not every crew here can fly every configuration of the airplane," he said. "Our jets are subtly different. The (multi-point refueling system) pods on the sides require special aircrew certifications.

"Our alert requirement every day is typically an MPRS tail, because we can do either boom or drogue, which means we can refuel the Navy or the Air Force," he said.

Daily and alert missions aren't all the squadron flies.

"We support (Combined Forces Air Component Command), CAOC and (Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component), so we do several special ops missions every day, as well," the colonel said.

Regardless of the type of mission the 340th EARS flies, there's one thing they all have in common: refueling other aircraft in the sky above the AOR. This responsibility rests on the one enlisted aircrew member on board -- the boom operator.

From a prone position in the tail area of the KC-135, the boom operator views the receiving aircraft, positions the boom apparatus to connect with the receiver, and provides it with the fuel needed to complete its mission.

"This is some of the best flying," said Tech Sgt. Jeff Stoermer, a 340th EARS boom operator. "In 60 days here, we do what it takes a year to do at home station."

In addition to operating the boom, his position entails several other responsibilities.

"I'm the third set of eyes, after the pilot and co-pilot," Sergeant Stoermer said. "I also do loadmaster and flight engineer functions, kind of a jack-of-all-trades on board the aircraft."

Colonel Frymire said he's most impressed with how all of the Airmen in his squadron perform so well at a mission that is ever-increasing in its demand on them.

"The volume of work all these folks do is just unbelievable," he said. "We've been here doing this refueling mission for awhile, and we make small changes and continuous process improvements over time.

"But at the end of the day, it's just people working hard, focusing on the mission and getting it done -- that, and lots of coffee."

Thursday, June 10, 2010

It is a 'Thursday War' frequency. Every Thursday the Royal Navy and other NATO naval forces have a large exercise in 'La Manche' between Brittany/Normandy and Cornwall/Devon. As would be expected, all the vessels use codes rather than their ship-names, but you can usually work out the nationality of the ship from the accent on the radio.

According to a post on Mike Marek's Facebook page, the CAP will be conducting a nationwide communications exercise sometime between now and the 4th of July.

According to Marek: "Some time in the next few weeks, before July 4th, we will be conducting a national communications exercise. Of course, we will not announce the exact date ahead of time, but I am writing to advise you of the general scenario, so you can prepare. I told the region DCS-COMMs about this some time back, so hopefully many of you already know the general outline.

"The national elements of this exercise are driven by the need to ramp up our use of HF-ALE. Regions and Wing should lay their own plans for how you pursue the exercise internally, as long as you do not use commercial telecommunications systems.

"The exercise will begin with an e-mail. Wings will be asked to report readiness to deploy across wing boundaries, reporting specific bits of information. For example, number of air crews, ground teams, aircraft and ground team vehicles available to deploy to another wing, or something along those lines.

"After collecting the information (without using the commercial infrastructure) wings will use radio to deliver the information to one of the two formal National Command Net (NCN) stations in their region, using formal traffic. The National Command Net stations will deliver the messages to AVS during the day and/or to a special National Headquarters station during evening hours. Messages will be received during certain pre-announced hours for a certain number of days. We will not announce in advance the geographic location of this special "evening hours" station.

"Wings should be prepared to operate HF-ALE, either from a regular existing station, or from a temporary RDP station. Only formally-appointed NCN stations should sound on the NCN frequencies, designated Net 1 in the standard frequency load of CAP's HF radios.

"This structure obviously leaves a lot of discretion to the regions and wings as to how you internally distribute the request for information and receive it back. I encourage you to include as many of your members as possible using HF, VHF, and even ISR radios."

So to my regular HF monitoring team, time to gear up on the CAP HF nets and watch for some activity in the near future.

A bib Milcom blog thank you Mr. Martin and if you have an update from an airshow that you attend, please pass it along to the email address in the masthead. We rely on these field report to compile the next edition of the MT Air Show Guide which will appear in the March 2011 edition of Monitoring Times. You can download the current edition online at http://monitoringtimes.com/MT_Air_Show_Guide_2010.pdf.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

USS MOUNT WHITNEY, At Sea (NNS) -- Maritime forces from 12 countries began participating in a multinational naval exercise in the Baltic Sea June 7-19.

The Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise is an annual event aimed at improving interoperability and cooperation among regional allies.

"The United States has sponsored BALTOPS for the past 37 years because of the unique opportunity it offers," said Rear Adm. Michelle Howard, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2. "It allows us to operate collectively with our regional partners and enhance maritime security in the Baltic Sea."

During the exercise Sailors will work side-by-side with other personnel from partner nations, both on land and at sea, and will become familiar with countries' military operating procedures and practices.

"BALTOPS has traditionally been a maritime exercise with operations conducted solely at sea, but this year's exercise has added two additional pieces," said British Navy Rear Adm. Ian Corder, deputy commander, Combined Joint Task Forces BALTOPS. "We will be conducting an offload in Latvia and an amphibious exercise in Estonia. While the maritime piece remains the primary activity of BALTOPS, these other two pillars provide diversity of operations not previously experienced in this exercise."

The goal is to work together to improve each country's ability to counter threats to maritime safety and security and conduct other operations such as peacekeeping or humanitarian responses.

"We recognize the commitment of nations in providing these forces, and we are grateful for their contributions," said Corder. "Accordingly, we have a challenging and relevant exercise planned, with portions of the training dedicated to counter-piracy and maritime interdictions operations, two areas in which many navies currently focus much of their time and energy."

The events scheduled for range from traditional activities to emerging missions. Some of the traditional activities include mine clearance operations, anti-submarine warfare and surface-to-air defense, while the newer operations include counterpiracy, small-boat attack and other maritime security tasks.

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Six reservists fresh from the fight to save the Gulf of Mexico coast from one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history briefed congressional members and staffers here June 7 and 8.

As part of the military's only fixed-wing aerial spray team, the Airmen flew specially configured C-130 Hercules aircraft 100 feet above the water and sprayed an oil dispersant to break the oil slick into smaller droplets. Then, the detergent-like dispersant pushed the droplets down to the microorganisms that eat the oil.

"On April 28 at 10:30 p.m., we got the call," said Maj. Drew Tancer, a pilot and the operations officer who led the first-responders from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. "Fourteen to 15 hours later, we were on scene."

Major Tancer led a team of about 60 reservists and two C-130 aircraft from the 910th Airlift Wing. Working in careful coordination with the Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the Reserve aerial spray team covered more than 30,000 acres with oil dispersant in the six weeks they were engaged.

The congressional staffers listened to the reservists' brief, and then asked questions about the oil dispersant and the aerial spraying equipment.

"An oil dispersant is used to mitigate the environmental disaster," said Maj. Mark Breidenbaugh, an entomologist from the 910th AW. "It is like a detergent soap that breaks the oil up and moves it under the water so it stays in the water column. This speeds up the natural process that breaks down the oil."

From May 1 until the reservists left Mississippi on June 4, they flew 92 missions and sprayed nearly 150,000 gallons of oil dispersant on the Gulf of Mexico's spill area.

"It comes down to do you want to fight it on the beach or fight it on the water?" said Col. Fritz Linsenmeyer, the 910th AW commander. "The products we use are pre-approved by the EPA and Coast Guard. And, although this spray is like a soap, you wouldn't put it in the water unless you had to. We want to do anything we can to protect the coast as much as possible from this disaster."

For nearly two decades, members of the 910th AW have participated in oil-spill cleanup exercises with the Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Aerial spray is a unique mission conducted by members of the Air Force Reserve, and the Youngstown Airmen have developed close partnerships with other first-responders and insight into disaster response operations.

"After providing the first response, our military aerial spray operators have now returned to home station," Colonel Linsenmeyer said. "This is normal for these situations."

Rear Adm. Mary Landry, the federal on-scene coordinator for the oil spill response, signed a memo releasing the Air Force Reserve planes and people from the spray mission.

Under a transition plan, civilian planes are taking over the delivery of oil dispersant in the gulf waters.

"The military gets things started and now civilian contractors are flying the continuing operations," Colonel Linsenmeyer said. "But, if we're needed to go back, our team is ready at a moment's notice."

"We're proud of what we have contributed to our nation and our communities," Major Breidenbaugh said.